Fate Stay Night: When We Meet Again
by Wandering-Nin
Summary: They thought it was really over for them, but it was far from it. Set after the anime, SaberArcher. Returning Soon?
1. Introduction

W-N: Well, here it is, my first fanfic ever!

Lancer: About freaking time! Let's get this thing started!

Archer: Yeah, we're getting impatient over here!

Fujimura: WHERE'S THE FOOD?!

W-N: (Sigh) Shall we start then?

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Disclaimer: WTHAX?! We really have to do these?! Ugh, I DO NOT OWN FATE/STAY NIGHT, this status is that of Type-Moon (I got that right, didn't I?)

Normal text

"Talking"

_Flashbacks_

_"Thoughts"_

I think I'll just insert those after I actually write the chapter...since I'm making this up as I sit at my keyboard. You need to look carefully anyway, since there is talking in flashbacks, so I'll point them out when they appear.

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**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A MAJOR SPOILER FOR THOSE THAT DIDN'T FIGURE OUT ARCHER'S TRUE NAME!!! IN FACT, THIS ENTIRE FANFIC IS A SPOILER!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!**

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**_When We Meet Again:_**

_A Fate/stay Night Fanfic_

_Introduction,_

The Archer, the Saber, the Lancer, the Caster, the Beserker, the Rider, the Assassin...these were the seven classes that would do battle over the Holy Grail, said to be able to grant it's possessor any one wish. Along with them, seven chosen magicians known as "Masters" would sumon heroic souls from one of these classes as their "Servants." Together, they battled as master and servant, struggling for control of the Holy Grail. But, in the last Holy Grail War, something unusual happened. The servant of the Saber class, in this case a woman from a much older England, and her master, Emiya Shirou, a Japanese high school student in Fuyuki City, chose to turn down the chance at having any wish granted. They destroyed the corrupted power that had tried to take the place of the Holy Grail, the result of an unkown event in a previous war that altered the entire process.

But that wasn't all that was strange...master and servant had fallen for one another. As they stood there, at the end of the battle, they had hardly enough time to say those three words. And then...she was gone. With the current round of the war over, there was nothing keeping her body in the physical world, as all servants were heroes who had died in some tragic or noble way.

Of course, sometimes God has a funny way of messing with your head, you know? We've all seen His sense of humor here and there...but how can you not find it so darned amusing that they have no idea of what's to come?

Wait, you didn't know? Well, perhaps I should tell you then? You sure? Very well then, let me start somewhere else...

_Flashback..._

_Archer, despite his efforts, just wasn't ready to take on the beast of a warrior known as Beserker, who in this case was supposed to be Heracles. He had just been smashed through the ceiling of Illyasviel's mansion, Illya being the very young master of Beserker, and dangerous magician._

_She slowly made her way down the stairs in the grand entrance hall, looking down at the motionless Archer..._

_"Well, maybe you regret it a little now?" and as she looked on, she noticed that his body had begun to move again..._

_"**Heh...and I thought I had thrown them away..." **He had tried so hard to, he didn't want to go through the pain of such a loss...but when he found his chance, he realized, that those feellngs had never left..._

_"Wha- he's still alive? Bazerka! Hurry up and kill him, before you get killed!"_

_"RRRGGGHHH!!!"_

_"You're still so merciless, Illya..."_

_"I-Illya?"_

_Archer gave the fight everything he had left, including using his best ability, Unlimited Blade Works, to pull Beserker into his own realm. Using what mana he had left, he was able to kill off five of beserker's extra lives. But with that, he had no energy left to remain in this world. So he began to fade away, leaving all to wonder who he really was..._

_End Flashback..._

But if one were to look closer at the scene, you would find something very interesting. A piece of archer's red mantle had fallen to the floor of the hall, slowly fading away after him. As it did, a small object was being revealed from underneath of it...a red gem, and not just any gem. It was the gem Tohsaka Rin had used to summon him...and also to save the life of one Emiya Shirou. In case you didn't know, magicians attempting to summon a particular servant will use an item related to that servant in order to raise their chances, and it usually works. But Rin didn't know that this gem was going to be linked to Shirou in this way, so how could she have known...that the Archer she summoned was in fact Emiya Shirou himself, pulled into his own past.

So with that said, let me finnaly reveal the focus of this story: the story of what was in store for Shirou and Saber after what they thought was their final goodbye...

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Author's comments: Well, this was really just an introduction of sorts. I've never uploaded anything to before, so I'm experimenting with this introduction. so if you're reading this right after it's been uploaded, and it looks very horrible, I am very much checking to make sure it's all readable. I also want to note that I do not have a proofreader, and more often than not, I might be writing these as I go along, re-read once or twice, and upload. If anyone wants to be my proofreader, lemme know and I'll think about it. I might be better off as is, I might not, this is the first actual writing project I've started. In other words, I've only done short stories before, so please read and review, and tell me if it looks good!!!

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Lancer: WHAT?! THAT'S IT?! WHAT A RIP-OFF!!!

Archer: WE SUE!!!

W-N: SHUT UP!!!

Fujimura: WHERE'S THE FOOD?!

Until next time!


	2. Chapter One: New Beginnings

W-N: WHOA!! I'm actually working on the next chapter!

Fujimura: is that a piece of cake?

W-N: vicious glare Don't even TRY!!!

Fujimura: GIMME!!! a fist flies out of nowhere and sends Taiga's head to the floor

Lancer: Whoa...Saber?

Saber: Sorry Fujimura-san, but he won't finish this any faster if you are trying to steal his food...

W-N: Thank you Saber.

Saber: That doesn't mean I won't do the same to you if your just going to sit there...

W-N: What?! You too?! Bah, FINE!!!

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Update: Okay, I've finnaly got my internet connection back. Now, while I was unable to log on, I re-read this chapter. After doing so, I found out something I hadn't considered before I uploaded it: I don't like it very much. I've re-uploaded mainly to say that I'm considering shredding this chapter an making a different beginning. I've only got one review, so I don't know if I'm the only one seeing it this way. Whether I scrap or keep this chapter, I'm DEFINETLY going to be taking more time between updates (and refraining from 5:00 A.M. updates). Well, with my probably pointless message now up, I'm going to go wander about and figure out what I'm going to do... _**

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**__**When We Meet Again: **a Fate/Stay Night fanfic_

_Chapter One: New beginning_

It was late, with only a few lights on the walls of the warehouses lit. This was a small storage facility in Fuyuki city, with most of the medium-sized storage buildings rented out to various companys. Not too many peple came to this particular part of the complex, and almost no one ever came at night. Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't those few people who would come here on purpose, such as two magicians trying to obliterate each other.

"Archer, help me!" Was about all his master seemed to be able to say since the servant Assassin had appeared.

"I can't shield you if you keep running away from me like that! Come on!" He grabbed his master's right arm and leapt up to the roof of one of the warehouses. Quickly scanning the area with those eagle eyes of his, managed to spot a quick blur headed in his direction. "Crap!" was all he got out as a pair of swords, one dark, and one metal-gray, appeared in his hands to block a rather large shuriken that would have struck his head otherwise.

"Come on Archer, press the attack!"

Archer tried to refrain from snapping at his master at this comment. Ever since summoning him, this moron had shown nothing but cowardice. His master was some company executive, and had almost no ability with magic, but it wasn't this that bothered him. It's just that every time he nearly gets himself killed while doing something incredibly stupid, he turns around and expects Archer to pull off some fantastic move when he can barely keep him out of trouble! "What do you think I've been trying to do?!" _"That MORON!!! I can't believe I got stuck with HIM as a master! Was it something I did? This is just cruel and unusual!" _Thoughts like these floated around inside his head as he deflected a few more shuriken of a much smaller size. About this time, the sound of rapid footsteps on a metal rooftop could be heard.

"_So that's where you were hiding!"_ He couldn't help but grin as he finnaly got to see his opponent. The Assassin wore a combination of samurai armor, and ninja-cloth. He was currently wielding a katana, and was preparing to make what could become a very deadly strike at Archer's neck. Swinging the blade at his opponent, his katana was blocked by the blade in Archer's left hand, as the one in his right found it's way to his opponent's chest. But instead of resulting in massive bloodloss, the apparent ninja simply vanished. "Wha?! An illusion?"

"Those who seek the shadow, will be killed by the shadow..." As several more shuriken flew towards Archer, a pair of attackers who looked just like the one from a moment ago ran towards Archer's master, who was by now putting all his energy into a full-blown panic attack.

"Archer! I need your help! Hurry!"

"Dangit, can't he stay out of trouble?!" He said this as he threw both of his swords at the two attackers, both of whom were struck in their backs. This resulted in the same blurrs as before, with both being illusions. "Again? Who the heck is this guy?" But before he could finish another thought, a fourth form came after Archer, this time wielding a deadly looking one-handed scythe.

"You have left yourself open to attack!" But as he neared his target, he was again blocked by another pair of swords, both of which looked exactly like the first. "Imaging?!"

"Bingo!" He smirked slightly as he jumped back and threw both of the blades at Assassin. This had little effect, as Assassin quickly evaded and rushed towards Archer yet again. This time however, Archer began show a look of panic just as he was about to be struck by the scythe, when the two blades he had thrown before came flying back and cut across Assassin's left shoulder and right arm, before returning to Archer's hands to stop the now weakened attack from the ninja's scythe. "Didn't see that one coming?"

Assassin, however, appeared to be smirking behind the cloth that covered his mouth.

Archer briefly wore a look of confusion before a great and sudden realization struck him.

"Archer! Help me!"

"Crap!!!" He said for what seemed the trillionth time since his summoning. He looked over towards his master to find him knocked to the ground with two more shinobi standing over him.

_"Dangit! He let himself be hit by my attacks so I would lighten my guard and let something slip by! Why didn't I see this coming?!"_

"Didn't see that coming?" said the Assassin, as if on cue.

"You know something? I don't like you." Was his aggitated reply

The two clones standing over Archer's master both unsheathed a katana and prepared to deliver a deathblow to the terrified man. "Wait! Wait! You just have to defeat my servant to knock me out of the fight, right? Here, I'll use my command spells to do it! Archer, de-summon!"

"SAY WHAT?! YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE-" But alas, poor Archer, we knew him well. He would have to wait to be summoned again, as this master proved to be a great coward indeed. What an incredibly anti-climactic way to end a fight...

"There, see? I admit defeat, so I'm out now! The war wasn't even supposed to have started yet anyway, so it's all good right?" He continued to look up at the two clones, who had by now been joined by the original.

"No." Was all that Assassin said as the two clones thrust their swords into the pitiful man's chest, distorting his screams.

_"Wow, poor Archer. To think a guy like him got stuck with a master like that. At least this give's me a headstart in figuring out my enemy's techniques."_ He continued to look on as what was apparently the original Assassin turned his attention to the observers position. _"Whoa, he can see me? Nothing for it I guess. Better to just get out of here anyway."_ With that, the unkown figure quickly made his way out of the area, as the Assassin's clones vanished, and he began to leave the district as well.

**Six months later...**

"Alright...no mistakes...I've got to do this perfectly..." He thought, as he finished setting up the gem he planned to use in the summoning. He had been training hard for over a year now, but his skills as a magician were still average. His practice sessions had often resulted in singed hair, warped cups, and occassionally burnt toast. But it was now or never: he HAD to summon the best servant he could! "How hard can it be?"

The gem was a simple blue stone, flat on top and bottom, with a hexagonal-shape. He had been storing extra energy in it since he received it from his father, almost four years ago. Though now it seemed like yesterday, now that he was finnaly preparing to use it. He set it on the floor, with some various odd items lined up around it to scatter the energy. If there was one thing he knew, using magic tricks took alot of energy out the user, and he was planning to get his money's worth out of every bit he was going to use.

"Alright, here goes nothing!" He knelt at the edge of the formation and put both hands on the floor, channeling energy into the gemstones. As he did this, they begin to glow and blink in various patterns, chanelling the energy while activating the gemstone in the center. As this continued, the young man could feel his strength slowly being sent into the summoning. He felt like it was going to sap everything out of him if it took too long. A few moments passed, before a bright blue light lit up the room, almost blinding him for a moment. As he opened his eyes, he was shocked at the sight before him. "N-nothing happened?!"

It didn't make any sense. He set up the formation in a way to make use out of all the energy, he had placed a powerful gemstone in the center...what did he do wrong? "I don't get it...was there another step I didn't know abo-" He was abruptly cut off by a second flash of light, accompanied by a small explosion, which launched him back, smacking his head into a bookcase, and leaving him slumped to the ground. As he picked his head up, he received a second surprise, though this one far more pleasant.

Standing where the gemstones once were (which were now shattered and littering the area of the summoning), was a young woman. She wore a blue dress under her platemail armor, but no helmet. A sheathed sword rested at her side. She did nothing but simply look at what she assumed was her new master before finnaly deciding she would have to be the one to speak first.

"Servant, Saber. I ask of you: are you my master?" Was her simple, almost robotic question.

"I...guess I am..." Was about all he could think of to say in response. First the summoning appeared to have failed, then the room is shaken apart by an explosion, and now he's just been told that his servant is of the Saber class! He expected to summon a decent servant at least, with all his practicing, but to summon a _Saber_?! "Um, I guess your my servant then? Well, my name is Hikari Hideyori, but, just call me Hideyori. What's your name?"

"It would be better if you didn't know mine. Some enemies can pry these thing's from a master's mind."

"Oh, well, alright." "_What's up with her? I mean, I JUST NOW summoned her...wait...I just realized...AGH, I DESTROYED MY ROOM!!!"_

As her new master frantically began darting back and forth across the room, Saber took a moment to gather her thoughts. If this man's clothing was any hint, it hasn't been that long since the previous war. She seems to have most of her power, with only a little mana loss, since the summoning was at least well prepared. Her master seems to be at least an ok magician, so he should be able to channel mana, and heal. The command spells had already appeared on his left hand as well. Everything seemed to have gone well, minus the rather combustive entrance. But a few things couldn't be answered here...

"Well, there's not much more I can do for my room here...aw man, I just realized. I never considered that I might be able to summon a Saber! I hardly know anything about special techniques, stats, everything!" He began to think somewhat frantically again as he tried to remember what he had studied.

"Master, you did know when you summoned me that you would be entering into a war, didn't you?" she asked, now becoming slightly concerned.

"Yeah I...wait...what? I thought all I was doing was summoning some kind of familiar..."

The rating on the situation went from C+ to D- in an instant. Outside, her expression appeared to be more or less the same. But inside, she might as well have face vaulted onto a piano. Out the window were her dreams that this seasons battles might actually go fairly well. This young magician really had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

"I see...do you at least know of the supervisor?" She tried to hold onto the hope that he at least knew a few things about the Magician's Society.

"Well, yeah, of course. But, the supervisor here is just a local manager of some kind, isn't he?"

Correction, the situation was rapidly going from the D's, to just plain flushable. At this rate, it was starting to look like defeat would occurr within the next five minutes.

_"He really doesn't know wha he's gotten himself into...hmhm, reminds of before..."_ She sighed mentally as she recalled the face whose image she had held onto as hard as she could. If she only got to bring a few meories with her, those were the one's. She didn't want to forget him. She didn't plan on it either. But now...how long has it been since that day? Is there a chance he might still be around here, in Fuyuki City?. These were some of the questions she pondered as her master approached a simple looking restraunt while she followed along in spirit form. She had decided to tell him it would be better if he just went to the supervisor during the day. They both walked in, Saber more floating in then walking. The restraunt was moderatly lit, with a sushi bar, and a number of booths lining the walls. Upon entering, Hideyori walked over to where a man dressed in traditional white and blue Japanese yukata sat musing over a pink colored drink.

"That's not a hard drink is it?" He asked, getting his attention.

"Come on Hideyori, you know I don't drink the hard stuff. This is just lemonade." Was his somewhat comical reply.

"You always have weird taste Nagata-san." His statement was met with a chuckle, as the man led him into a back-room.

This room was different from the previous one in that it was more of a study, with several bookcases stuffed with books of all topics. There was a couch opposite the wall where the door was located, with two chairs opposite the couch itself. There were lamps decorated with Kanji writings in three corners of the room, with another similar lamp hanging underneath a fan in the ceiling. In the last war, the supervisor stayed at a church in the new-town area of Fuyuki, but the Association didn't like the idea of encouraging battles near there again. This restraunt was just a modest front so that no one would be suspicious of many random people wandering in and out at different times of the day. All of the people who worked here were also members of the Association, so keeping a lookout here was fairly easy.

"I guess this isn't a social call, is it?" Nagata asked, after he had shut the door and taken a seat at the couch, still holding his drink. His full name was Yotogi Nagata, and he was chosen to be the supervisor ahead of time, since they expected that the war would be held here yet again. It was seeming that they were right.

"No, it isn't. I summoned a servant. A Saber." At this, Nagata set his drink on the wooden table in front of him. He clasped his hands together in front of him and lowered his face behind them.

"A Saber? You managed to summon such a powerful class?" Nagata was somewhat surprised. He knew that Hideyori had been preparing to make the attempt for some time now, but he didn't think he'd summon a Saber. "That's pretty impressive Hideyori. But that doesn't really tell me why you came."

"Uh, yeah, about that. When I started practicing for the summoning I knew there were other magicians who either already were, or would be doing the same. I also knew that there magicians out there who would probably want to fight with me if they found out I had a servant. But...what's this I'm hearing about a Holy Grail War?"

Upon hearing this, Nagata nearly choked on his drink five times over. Upon finnaly swallowing the pink terror (and catching his breath), Nagata simply stared at him with a look of plain shock. "Please tell me you've at least HEARD of it before!"

"Not really." With this answer, Nagata took a dee breath, and a long, hard gulp from his drink. He knew the highschooler wasn't going to like what he was about to tell him.

Needless to say, after many gasps, outbursts, questioning, and even some face vaulting, Hideyori decided that there was one thing he wanted to do when he got home: take a VERY long nap. With his mind about to short out from the new information he had received, he decided to just wait for his servant inside the restraunt while drinking something very, very, cold (but non-alchoholic of course). However, Saber did not leave the room in spirit form. Instead, she materialized in front of the supervisor, and stepped forward so that she was standing next to the table.

"Oh, I guess you must be Hideyori's servant. He already told me that you are a Saber. But, shouldn't you be outside with him?"

"I can still sense his presence where he is. Besides, he is only composing himself before he starts the walk back to his home. But, before we go, I wanted to ask a question."

At this, Nagata lowered his drink again, but kept it in his hand. "Saber, you know I can't tell you anything about the other masters and servants..."

"I know, and that is not what I want to know. I had a question about someone from the previous war."

Again, he found himself stopping from taking another sip of his drink. "From the previous war? Ah, now I see, you want to know what happened to your previous master?"

"It wouldn't be so wrong, would it? I was his servant, so I wouldn't use the information against him. I just want to know what became of him." She found herself starting to just let the words come out on their own, despite her usual composure. She couldn't help it, she _had_ to know what happened to him! She would find out no matter how hard she had to search for the answer.

"Relax Saber! I know of the loyalty of your class, I know you won't do anything to harm him. But, if I'm going to tell you even just what he did after the war, I'm going to need a name."

Saber almost smiled for a moment, but she was already answering this question, more determined to find out, now that he said he would tell her. "His name was Emiya Shirou."

Nagata took a moment to think very carefully. "Hmmm...Emiya Shirou...I've heard that name somewhere before..." Saber was getting anxious. At this point, she just wanted to know if he was even still in the city. Nagata was about to take another sip from his drink before his eyes suddenly popped open. He remembered the name now, and yet again, he found himself setting his drink down. "Saber...are you sure you want to know? You may not like what you hear." But her resolve did not waver,

"I'm positive." Whatever he was going to say, she was ready for it.

With a sigh, Nagata finnaly prepared to answer. "Well, alright. Saber...Emiya Shirou...was murdered two years ago." Correction, she was NOT ready. Her mind starting racing as she tried to understand what she had just heard. "I don't know how, who, or why, but I do know that he was killed. I'm sorry Saber."

"Oh...I...see. Well...goodbye." With that, she went into spirit form, and headed back into the restraunt. Her mind was still in chaos. "_Murdered? How? Shirou...Shirou could defend himself. I...I must have heard him wrong..."_ But the more she tried to deny it, the more she began to realize all was not a terrible dream. She felt like her heart had just been ripped out by a steel claw. As her and Hideyori went back to his house, she tried to sort out her thoughts, but it was all just a confused jumble. She couldn't comprehend it. She just couldn't understand... _"Why? Why Shirou? What did he get involved in?"_

Had Hideyori been paying just a little more attention, he might've noticed that the expression on his servant's face was not quite the same as before. He was too distracted by his new dillema, however, to even notice. The walk back to his home went on in silence. Upon arriving, Hideyori simply slumped his way to his room and practically passed out, landing with a thud. Saber, however, was not going to sleep anytime soon. She made her way to an un-occupied guest room, the sun having now set, and the moon rising. As the night went on, Saber tried to collect her thoughts.

_"Shirou...it's not true is it? It can't be! We had finnaly won. All those things I learned from then. Shirou, you showed me so many things during that time. You...you..."_

As the moonlight shone through a small window at the top of the outer wall of the room, several tears falling to the wooden floor reflected their light.

**

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****Author's Comments:** I never said it was going to be a _happy_ first chapter, now did I? Dont worry though, I'm not going to spend all fic torturing the main characters. I didn't list this as an action/adventure/romance fic for nothing! Fear not! The good guys will make their comeback! And for those that are wondering "How many of the servants from the anime do you plan to bring back?" I'm not going to tell you! Muahahaha! What I WILL tell you is that there ARE going to be more characters from the anime than just Saber and Archer. I am also refreshing my mind on history and looking for people I think would make good characters in this story. So be prepared for a mild amount of originality! Yay for creativity! I never said it was going to be a first chapter, now did I? Dont worry though, I'm not going to spend all fic torturing the main characters. I didn't list this as an action/adventure/romance fic for nothing! Fear not! The good guys will make their comeback! And for those that are wondering "How many of the servants from the anime do you plan to bring back?" I'm not going to tell you! Muahahaha! What I WILL tell you is that there ARE going to be more characters from the anime than just Saber and Archer. I am also refreshing my mind on history and looking for people I think would make good characters in this story. So be prepared for a mild amount of originality! Yay for creativity! 

Fujimura: Awwwww, that was sad!

W-N: Don't worry, it's going to get better.

Fujimura: I hope so...

Lancer: What was up with that freaky Assassin anyway?

W-N: Lancer! You know I can't tell you that here! That's a spoiler!

Lancer: Dangit...

Until next time!


	3. Chapter Two: The Familiar and Unfamiliar

_You thought he was gone..._

(Dun dun-dun dun)

_You thought he would never return..._

(Dun dun-dun dun)

_You were wrong..._

(A nearby wall explodes, and Wandering-Nin can be seen on the other side.)

W-N: _**Booyah!**_ I'm back!\

Archer/Lancer: Yaaaaay! We get to continue the story!

W-N: That's right... (Nods, eyes closed and smiling))

Assassin: I will be able to continue my mission...

W-N: That's right... (Nods again)

Nagata: I might actually get to finish one of those lemonades...

W-N: Right... (Nods again)

Fujimura: I'll get to have a piece of that cake...

W-N: Wrong...

Fujimura Taiga gives Wandering-Nin a very frightening glare...

W-N: Just kidding (passes a piece of cake.) Let's get on with the story, shall we?

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Disclaimer: Own Fate/Stay Night, I do not. Type/Moon does.

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_**When We Meet Again**__: A Fate/Stay Night fanfic_

_Chapter Three: The Familiar and Unfamiliar_

It was a normal day in Fuyuki city. People were traveling to and fro, teenagers hanging out at arcades, casual-restaraunts, cars making their way through the streets. People were just going about their business, like they expected to be doing almost every day, with the occassional upset now and then, with varying seriousness. Today however, all seemed to be just another day...

But three days ago, came a day that had not been so normal for one High-school student named Hideyori. Nor was it a normal day for his servant, Saber. That day, Saber received the knews that her dear Shirou was...gone.

Well...as far as she knew, anyway.

In actuality, one Emiya Shirou was wandering around part of downtown Fuyuki city, tall buildings on both sides of the streets, multi-floored shopping centers, hotels, office buildings, more of those arcades and restaraunts (those Japanese really like their arcades...). Trees had been planted at regular intervals along these sidewalks, to reduce the overall grayness of the city. Traffic overpasses ran over several sections of this street, one of which Archer had just walked under, as a certain blue-haired Irishman approached him, his face all-too amused.

"So it _is_ you! I was sure that it was you I saw at the warehouse, but to think you were really trapped in un-materialized form?" Lancer continued to chuckle as he thought about Archer's terrible luck.

"I think your're enjoying this a little too much..." Archer was visibly annoyed. Being more or less a ghost for six months could leave you pretty agitated though...

"Now that I think about it, how have you been able to stay for so long? I thought three days was your limit?"

"It's because of what my former master intended to do...his command couldn't actually de-summon me, so it did the next -closest thing and trapped me in this ghost form." True, Archer's limit was about 3 days for independent action, but the circumstances here were slightly different. Lancer was glad that it hadn't happened to him...

"Wow...that's pretty lame Archer..."

Archer was now more visibly annoyed. "Just go away..."

"No loss to me; so long Patrick Swayze"

_"How does he even know about that movie?" _Archer simply looked up at the sky as Lancer walked away, probably to go fishing again.

Archer continued walking down the sidewalk, to different parts of the city, until his wanderings finnaly brought him to the cities old-town, where most of the traditional buildings were. _Alot like it used to be,_ he thought as he continued down several more roads. But then something interesting caught his eye...one of the houses seemed very...familiar...it was large, with another building behind the walls, probably a storehouse of some kind. Both had been made in the traditional Japanese style. But there was something about the house that he couldn't put his finger on just yet. While he tried to figure it out, someone walked up to the house, unlocked the door, and went inside. This person was a teenager, a girl, not particularly tall, had white hair and red eyes. She was wearing a purple vest with a white shirt, and darker skirt. And then, it hit him.

"_I-I-I-__**ILYA?!?!**__ AND SHE'S STAYING AT __**MY**__ HOUSE?!?!" _This didn't quite compute. He entered through one of the walls, and found the "intruder" in the kitchen. It really was Ilyasviel, and it did seem that she was staying here, as she was helping herself to the refridgerator.

"How long are you going to spy on me?" She said, not bothering to look over.

"How did yo-" he started, but Ilya cut him off.

"Even though you can walk through walls, you do a poor job of hiding yourself."

The statement, being rather blunt, made Archer feel somewhat stupid for a moment...

"So, what did you want?"

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

Hideyori groggily pulled a bottled drink out from his fridge. He hadn't slept all that well during the night, and today's classes were only a minor distraction from one particular thought...

_"I'm so dead..." _Ever since finding out about the intentions of the other masters, Hideyori realized more and more how little he knew about fighting. Saber, however, seemed prepared to handle most threats, whenever they would arise. In fact, she didn't seem to be thinking about much else. He would sometimes try to figure out what was wrong, but she would often reply with "It is my duty to protect you, as my master, and ensure victory. Everything else is irrelevant." Ever since the visit to Nagata's, she seemed to be colder than before.

Though she could have warned him about the water that had spilled onto the floor of the hallway in school...

* * *

_Back at the (Emiya?) Residence..._

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa!" Ilya had been laughing for some time now, after hearing Archer's story, and he was beginning to get tired of it. In fact, if one were to look closely, they would see that a vein was protruding ever-so-slightly from his forehead.

"You don't have to laugh so much, you know..." It was bad enough that Lancer knew about his condition, and now Ilya.

"I'm sorry, it's just so funny trying to picture what you would do to pass the time! Say...what **did** you do, anyway?" She said, all too playfully.

"Hey, It's not that funny! It's not as fun as it looks, being stuck like this! I can't re-materialize at all." He said, now very tired of being un-able to do much else other than float around...

"Gomen, gomen. I realize that it must have been very frustraing. You know...now that I think about it...I could help with that." This got Archer's attention.

"We were enemies before, why would you help me?" He said, inquisitively. She replied with a playfull tone and expression.

"Because your're my O-nii-chan."

"N-nani?!"

_To be continued...

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_

**Well ladies and gentlemen, there it is, chapter two. I wonder how many thought I would never continue this (and how many actually know that I did this). There were a number of elements to the original story that I wasn't so sure I wanted to be writing about, but I recently started thinking of other ways I could do this. Then, all of a sudden, during a visit to a family member's residence, I found myself sitting at a computer, typing this chapter...and it seems I will be uploading around 5:00 A.M., something I said I was going to refrain from doing last chapter...oh well.

* * *

**

**And now, here's an image for you to picture as cover-art for the chapter! (Or not, whichever...)**

Lancer, sitting on a pier, with a rather confused look on his face, having somehow managed to reel-in...a boot. Archer is snickering in the background (A prank, possibly?)...

(Until next time!)


	4. Chapter Three: New Developments

W-N: The thing about Thanksgiving Day, is that you eat so many of the snacks that they set out long before the dinner is ready...

( Taiga is fast asleep on a couch somewhere... )

W-N: 0 o

Saber: May we move along now? Or would you prefer for that person to hit you with a slab of beef again?

W-N: Umm, no, let's move along...

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night. Though I do like some of the character costumes...

**UPDATE:** Came back to fix a few grammatical errors.

_**

* * *

**_

_**When We Meet Again:** A Fate/Stay Night Fanfic_

_Chapter Three: New Developments_

It was morning. School was out for the day. Funny looking swirls filled an orange sky, and the sound of a rapidly descending object could be heard. In the distance, someone could be heard shouting "Oooo-niiiii-chaaaan!" **WHAM!**

"N-Nani?!?!" Archer had been left exhausted from the mental drain of wandering Fuyuki for six months in a sort of limbo. He had gone to sleep shortly after making sure there were no servants in the area. But he was wide awake now, Ilya made sure of that.

"Hee-hee-heee!" Ilya was latched onto Archer with her eyes shut, and a smile on her face...same Ilya...

_'Just like old times I guess...'_ he thought, as he re-called events from the previous night...

_

* * *

Last night..._

_"N-nani?" The statement had caught him slightly off-guard. "What do you mean "o-nii-chan"?"_

_"I know it's you, Shirou nii-chan. Rin and I started noticing the similiarities as the last war went on. I couldn't believe it at first, but it made alot of sense as I thought about it." Seems that she was quite observant..._

_"Hmpf. I'm not that over-ambitious kid that you remember." He had started to look away._

_"What about your dreams of protecting people?" she asked, rather inquisitively._

_"I gave up on that. It's un-realistic, and impossible." He was fully looking away by now._

_"Liar" she replied with a serious look on her face._

_"Think that way if you want, but I changed along the way. You just haven't learned it for yourself yet. It's impossible to be the kind of guardian that I wanted to be, and it's naive to even try." Even though he said that, at some level, Ilya's voice started to echo slightly, as though she was reaching a point somewhere..._

_"If you really think that, then why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?" Correction, she was very observant. Her tone was more stern now. "Back at the mansion, you had the perfect chance to kill me, and end the threat from Beserker. But you chose not to do it. Even before that, you asked Rin a question, and it wasn't because of ego that you did it. You asked if it was okay if you went all out, so that you could put your own life on the line, and buy time for the others to escape! You still wanted to protect everyone!" She raised her voice slightly as she finished, trying to emphasize that he hadn't changed as much as he claimed he did."You can still walk away from that bitter path you're on. If you keep hardening your heart, you'll only regret it!"_

_She was right. Archer's eyes were wide now. He had turned back to his old-self a little during that battle, but afterwards, he was still seperated from everyone. He felt like he had failed to really change anything. But Ilya's words reminded him of how much he wanted to protect those close to him. If he kept on like this, he would just end up condeming himself as a result of a bitter-heart. He looked down with his eyes shut, and laughed slightly. "You win, Ilya." He turned to face her. "What did you have in mind to get me out of this mess, anyway?"_

_She smiled. It was looking like she would get her Onii-chan back. She stepped towards him as she elaborated. "Even though I turned away from sorcery, our promises are binding to us. All you need is someone willing to share their energy so that you can take a normal form." She made it sound pretty simple. "I promise this: I will play the same role as the masters, and give you the energy you need so that you can continue the battle." She held out her hand to him. "Do you, accept?"_

_He looked down at her for a moment. Then, as he reached out his hand towards hers "I accept." As his hand reached hers, he finished re-materializing._

* * *

Archer had prepared breakfast after he somehow managed to pry off Ilya and get her to sit still at the table. She watched as he went about the task; he seemed to be enjoying cooking again. The main ingredient this time: tofu. 

Archer looked over at Ilya before asking how much she knew about the current round. "I was getting the feeling that the war might begin again soon, but you're actually the first servant I've seen so far." She spoke between bites of food. "In fact, it seems like most of the servants haven't been fighting much...strange."

"Well, I already met with Assassin. I have a suspicion as to who he is, but I do know that Cu Chulainn is Lancer again..."

"So that leaves Saber, Rider, Beserker, and Caster." Ilya finished the sentence for him. They finished up their meal in silence. Archer got up to clean the table, while Ilya went to prepare to leave.

"You going somewhere?" Archer asked, as she went for the door.

"We might as well take a walk, since we don't have any leads." With that said, it didn't take much for Archer to decide to go along.

_

* * *

Elsewhere_

Hideyori had ordered Chinese for dinner that evening. He didn't really feel like cooking...again. Saber would have done it for him ( it's important for the master to keep his strength up ) but he already seemed to have made up his mind. He turned on the T.V. while they ate. A report on the news said that there were still no leads on the warehouse murder-case. "Now that I think about it, isn't it a little weird for a guy in a suit to be running around on the rooftops of warehouses?"

"Most likely, he was a master. If so, then at least one servant may have already been eliminated. Alternatively, one of our enemies may have two servants." Her voice was formal as usual...

"This isn't very promising..." He left the news on as he finished his meal, then headed off to bed once he was done cleaning-up. Saber went off to find a place to stand-by while he slept. Before he could fall asleep, he got back up and headed for the bathroom. Washing his hands once he had finished, he opened the door to his room, walked in and closed it behind him. As soon as he turned back around, something knocked him to the ground. Adrenaline rushed into his bloodstream as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

Assassin had him pinned to the floor.

**

* * *

A next-day update...this trend could turn out to be either a good thing or a bad thing. I suppose I could either add to this chapter later, or continue with an entirely new one. For the moment, however, it is already past 5:00 A.M., I have ideas, but not many to link them together, and I'm already pushing it just by typing at this hour.**

**As for Archer's OOCness the last couple of chapters, I had thought that I might be portraying him out of character. I suppose I didn't think too much of it because of the conditions in those scenes. Bear in mind, however, that this is him post Archer vs. Beserker, and, in the anime at least, he DID start to act more like he used to, even if only a little. But I think I'm going to change his dialogue somewhat regardless...**

_

* * *

Yotogi Nagata was forced to abandon his drink once again, with a sigh, in order to go deal with a situation in which a customer was complaining about something involving a cold turkey._

Until next time!


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